Director of Department for Business and Trade Legal Advisers

London

Fascinating Work
We are the government’s principal legal advisers. Our core purpose is to help the government to govern well, within the rule of law. We do this by providing legal advice on a huge range of issues, spanning every area of legal specialism. People in GLD enjoy a terrific variety of work and the intellectual stimulation of working at the cutting edge by not only interpreting the law, but also making it.

Meaningful Impact
Everything GLD does has impact on a national scale – and not infrequently on an international scale. People working in GLD have the genuine satisfaction of knowing we are making a positive difference to the lives of the citizens of the UK and beyond. Engaging with colleagues across a wide range of government departments, agencies and public
bodies, we have clear visibility of how our work fits in to the broader programme of government. This post leads on the provision of international trade law advice to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), supporting DBT’s role at the heart of the UK’s economic recovery and how the UK relates to and does business with the rest of the world.

A Brilliant Place to Work
We employ nearly 3,000 people, including over 2,000 legal professionals and have offices across the UK. People working in GLD enjoy belonging to a thriving professional community with a strong sense of team. GLD is committed to being a place where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential and to supporting and empowering our people to prioritise their health and wellbeing. We welcome applications from people representing as broad a range of views and backgrounds as we have in UK society. Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to an effective, modern Civil Service that delivers policies and services for all of our citizens.

An Exceptional Career Development Opportunity
I hope you will be excited by the opportunity which this post presents. It is an opportunity for the right person to take up a role at the heart of government, interacting with ministers, permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants.
This is a critical role with stretching responsibilities which demand an exceptional person with a rare combination of strengths and knowledge. If you thin

The Role
The new Legal Director will work closely with the existing legal director and will have responsibility for the legal work of the international trade side of the division, presently comprising 8 deputy director led teams of lawyers. The director is jointly responsible with the business legal director for the leadership of the DBT division of 195 lawyers and support staff. The director contributes to the corporate leadership of GLD and DBT. Working closely with the Permanent Secretaries and their senior team, they have a key role in the governance and approval arrangements of DBT.
Key Responsibilities
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Overseeing the provision of high quality, risk-focused and integrated legal advice to DBT ministers and senior officials in a fast- paced, high-profile environment, advising personally as required.
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Being jointly accountable to both DBT and GLD for delivering a highly effective and efficient legal service, with delegated responsibility for a legal budget of £25m.
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Building strong relationships with external legal suppliers to provide expert advice and legal services, ensuring value for money. Acting as SRO for the Trade Law Panel of external legal providers.
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Establishing strong relationships with other external stakeholders, acting as the public face of international trade law within government.
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Providing visible and effective leadership of the Division, engaging staff and leading change to develop a confident team which is inclusive and takes account of people’s diverse needs and talents.
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Leading the further development of international trade and investment law knowledge within Government; developing the skills and capability of the people under your direction, using performance and talent management effectively to ensure everyone fulfils their potential.
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Ensuring a strong focus on improving value for money, ensuring lessons are learnt, continuous improvement, and seeking out innovative approaches.
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Playing a visible role in the collective leadership of GLD, both as a senior member of the Directorate leadership team and part of the Strategic Leadership Group (the Board and Directors) for GLD.
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Acting as a role model for the Civil Service values.

The successful candidates will be qualified to practice* as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales (*which includes overseas lawyers with necessary exemptions). It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you provide evidence and examples which demonstrate capability and potential against these selection criteria:
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Recent experience of advising on significant international trade matters, e.g. WTO, Free Trade Agreements, trade remedies, international investment, trade disputes and international arbitration.
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The ability to provide and oversee the provision of authoritative, risk based public law and international trade law advice, demonstrating excellent judgement and facilitating practical solutions.
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Exceptional communication skills and the ability to command credibility with senior politicians and officials, and build deep collaborative partnerships with government departments, public bodies and other organisations.
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The ability to manage workloads and resources across a legal function, utilising external resource appropriately, with a commitment to improving service delivery and value for money.
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The leadership skills to inspire and empower professional staff in a team with scale and complexity, supporting talent development, building a strong culture of continuous learning, flexibility and knowledge sharing.
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A commitment to diversity, to creating a truly inclusive working environment and to the core Civil Service values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

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A Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive* qualified in England and Wales.
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DV clearance is required for this role. The successful candidate may start in the role once they have achieved SC clearance pending DV clearance. If the successful candidate does not achieve the required level of enhanced clearance (DV level) their employment could be terminated. Please note that DV clearance requires proof of UK residency for five out of the last 10 years within DBT. Please see FAQs on page 15 and 16 for further information
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STRAP access will be required for this role.

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Government Legal Department contributes
£27,000 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Open to UK nationals only.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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Job contact :

• Name : Duncan Ewart
• Email : duncan.ewart@gatenbysanderson.com

Recruitment team

• Email : mary.dempsey@gatenbysanderson.com